Shell to Sea seeks apology for being barred from Dáil committee meeting

By:

Mayo Advertiser

A delegation of Shell to Sea supporters including independent observer Fr Michael Nallen were refused entry to a Dáil committee meeting on natural resources this week.

The group travelled to Dublin on the invitation of Deputy Leader of Fianna Fáil Éamon Ó Cuív on Tuesday but were denied entry to the meeting upon arrival.

According to a spokesperson for the group, they were first told that the public gallery of the committee meeting room was full and they would be put into a separate room with a video link. They were then told that because they were a protest group they would not be allowed inside the gates of the Dáil.

A statement issued by Mayo Shell to Sea said Deputy Ó Cuív told the group he was “powerless” to do anything about their exclusion from the meeting.

Speaking on being stopped entering the Dáil, Fr Nallen said: “There was no logic in the decision to prevent us observing the committee meeting in its discussion on natural resources. All we came to do was observe the workings of the committee, and the people who were turned away were not participating in any protest. We, at the very least, deserve a proper explanation and an apology for the way we were treated. This is not credible democracy.”

Search

Blast from the Past

Garda whistleblower Maurice McCabe’s first contact with a TD came about because he saw Clare Daly TD on ‘Tonight with Vincent Browne’ talking about policing of Corrib Gas protests, writes William Hederman

The repercussions for Garda whistleblowers Maurice McCabe and John Wilson will be familiar to others who have publicly embarrassed An Garda Síochána. They were clearly acting in the public interest, but their revelations brought the force into disrepute, and the two men suffered as a result. Revenge was exacted – not only by colleagues, but also by way of public denunciation by the Garda Commissioner (“disgusting”), the Minister for Justice (“not co-operating”) and by various other parties loyal to the force.